
English crumpets are a kind of thick but light pancake, characterized by the numerous holes in the top. Served hot and smothered with butter, there's nothing quite like them. Not to be confused with muffins.
Dissolve the bicarb in the remaining water and stir it into the batter. Leave to rest 15-30 minutes.
Generously butter the inside of the rings.. Heat some oil in the pan on medium-low heat. Arrange the rings in the pan and pour batter into each one. Your crumpets should be about 2cm (¾ inch) thick. Cook them gently until the top has solidified - it may take a bit of practice for you to be able to get the crumpet cooked through without the bottom being burnt.
The tops of the crumpets should have lots of small holes in them. To finish off the crumpets, stick them under a grill (broiler) or hit them with a blowtorch until lightly browned.
Serve with lashings of butter, and if that's not enough, some jam or a thin scraping of Marmite.
Butter for greasing rings and pan. Extra 50ml (2 fl. oz.) water to dissolve soda in.